


A Dose of Hope

by whiskeyandlonging



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Gen, Mentions of Covid, Mostly Gen, Needles, Referenced Buddie, covid vaccine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeyandlonging/pseuds/whiskeyandlonging
Summary: You’re nervous to get your first dose of the Covid vaccine. Luckily for you, a gentle firefighter is there to help.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	A Dose of Hope

With a steadying breath, you finally rounded the corner of firehouse 118. You’d been waiting nearly a year for this moment but now that it was right in front of you, you found your heart racing and couldn’t help but fidget as you waited to be checked in. 

“Hi, are you here for a Covid vaccine?” a tall man asked as you stepped up in line. Despite being unable to see his smile behind the mask he wore, you could sense he was kind from his tone. 

“Yes, sir,” you replied with a nod. 

He smiled. “There’s no need for the formalities, miss. If you have your ID, I’ll get you checked in for your appointment and we’ll find you a seat in just a moment.”

You rummaged for your driver’s license, passing it over to the man—Bobby, according to his nametag—and glanced around as he took down your information. All along the side and back of the station, small tables with a couple chairs and supplies were lined up with a firefighter or paramedic at each one. Several had patients with them, and you secretly hoped you’d end up with the woman with kind eyes and funky glasses to your left. She seemed warm as she finished with her patient, and admittedly, you always needed a warm presence when you felt this anxious. 

“Here you are, miss,” Bobby said, pulling your attention back to the registration table. He passed back your ID along with a small card filled out with your name and information about the vaccine itself. “See Diaz over there, the one at that empty table?” he asked as he pointed in the direction of the small tables where a man with his back to you stood. “Head right over there, he’ll getcha taken care of.” 

Your heart sank a bit—no such luck with the kind-looking woman. With a quiet thanks, you headed over to the empty table Bobby had designated, your heart beginning to race once again. You approached the man—Diaz, was it?—just in time to see him finish setting out the supplies he would need. 

“Hey there,” he said as he straightened up to face you, a smile crinkling his eyes above his mask. “I’m Eddie. I’d shake your hand but…” 

You huffed a laugh. “No, I get it. I’m Y/N.” You tried to smile behind your own mask and hoped it reached your eyes. From the way he softened, you didn’t think you’d succeeded. 

“Nervous?” Eddie asked with a tilt of his head. You nodded, not trusting your voice. “No need to be. I’ll take good care of you,” he promised, and you could tell from the gentleness in his eyes that he was sincere. He pulled one of the two chairs at the station out for you and gestured for you to sit before he settled into the chair beside yours. 

“Which is your dominant arm?” he asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves. You responded and he nodded. “Let’s use the other one. People tend to feel pretty sore after. Nothing a bit of ibuprofen can’t fix, though,” he assured with an easy smile that met his eyes. 

His gentle bedside manner and reassurances put you at ease; you could feel your anxiety ebbing ever-so-slightly as he spoke, his words calming your frayed nerves. You were beginning to feel very grateful you’d ended up with him. 

“Mind if I roll up your sleeve?” Eddie asked, his hand paused midair as he waited for your permission. 

Your anxiety increased once again as his question brought you back to the reason you were here. Hesitantly, you nodded and held your arm out slightly for him to roll the fabric up. 

He reached for an alcohol swab and your eyes followed the movement. There, beside the bandaid and alcohol wipe, lay a capped syringe. You felt tears begin to sting at your eyes as your heart began pounding in your chest. Noticing the shift in your demeanor, Eddie’s gaze followed your own to find it lingering on the syringe. He leaned to the side, effectively blocking your view of the needle. 

“Hey,” he murmured, waiting for you to meet his gaze. “Don’t look at the needle, okay? That’s why I’m here, to take care of that part so you don’t have to worry about it.” You nodded and tried to blink the tears away. “It’ll be quick, I promise. I’m very good at this,” he told you with a wink. 

Despite yourself, a laugh escaped. “Are you a paramedic?” you asked. 

He shook his head as he tore the wipe open. “Nah, firefighter. But I was an army medic for years before this.” He cleaned a small area at the top of your arm and caught your eye. “Want me to count?” 

You began to answer but paused, hesitating. “Um… choose for me,” you requested softly. Eddie chuckled. 

“Alright. Close your eyes, relax your arm…” You closed them just as you heard the plastic click of the cap being removed. You felt a quick sting in your arm and winced. “And… all done.” You opened your eyes to see Eddie press a bandaid over the small pinprick, his hazel eyes meeting yours and his smile evident in them. “You did great.” 

You looked at your arm and back up to him in mild disbelief. “That was so fast! I barely felt it.” 

Eddie laughed. “Told you I was good,” he told you with a one-shoulder shrug. “We’ll keep you for about fifteen minutes, make sure you don’t have any adverse reactions. Sound good?” 

The nod you gave in response was a bad idea. Everything tilted, a wave of dizziness catching you off guard. You closed your eyes in response and took a shaky breath. 

“Whoa, hey. You okay?” Eddie asked, concern furrowing his brow as he reached out to steady you with a hand on your elbow. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you said breathlessly. “Sorry.” 

Eddie shook his head. “No need to apologize. Let’s get you some sugar. Hey, Hen!” he called over his shoulder, and the woman you’d seen earlier turned towards his voice. “Grab me a juice, would you?” 

A minute or so later, Hen returned with a box of apple juice and passed it to Eddie, who passed it to you. With a shaking hand, you accepted it and took a sip. 

“Thank you,” you murmured, embarrassed as you lowered the box to your lap. 

“Keep drinking,” he ordered kindly as he took your other wrist, feeling for your pulse and frowning when he felt it racing against his fingers. “Does this happen a lot?” 

You hummed an affirmative as you sipped, not wanting to trigger another wave of dizziness. “Almost every time I get a vaccine. Normally, I make sure to get some sugar before, but I forgot today.” 

“Well, get some of that juice down, it’ll help. I might keep you for an extra few minutes, make sure you’re okay. Let me know if you’re not feeling better and we can do a full set of vitals.” 

Reluctantly, you agreed just before a tall, handsome, sandy blonde firefighter you hadn’t yet seen jogged over.

“Hey. Eds,” he called. “Cap says to switch out after this lovely lady is set,” he said as he shot you a wink. “I’m gonna take five, grab a bite, and I’ll come relieve you.” 

“Copy that,” Eddie replied, his posture giving away an easy comfort with his teammate as he watched him jog up the stairs. 

A sneaking suspicion crept up on you as you glanced between the two of them and you couldn’t help the teasing tone in your voice as you asked, “Boyfriend?” 

Eddie glanced back at you and looked down bashfully. “Buck? Uh… yeah.” He cocked his head. “What gave it away?” 

You shrugged. “Just got a vibe,” you replied honestly. 

“Wow. I’m impressed.” He paused before nodding his chin at you. “How we feelin’?” 

“Better. Not as dizzy or shaky.” You held up your hand as proof, pleased that the trembling had abated a bit. 

“And your arm?” 

You moved it up and down a bit, wincing at the unexpected soreness. “Mmm, sore already. Is that normal?” you asked, brow furrowed. 

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, unfortunately. I’d recommend taking something for it when you get home, head off some of the soreness if you can.” 

“Will do.” You sipped the remainder of the juice down and set the empty box in your lap. You still had at least five minutes to sit here, excluding the extra time Eddie wanted you to stay for observation. With time to kill, you struck up a conversation, asking him all about his job, what he liked about it, if he preferred it to the military. He answered all your questions readily and asked a few polite, non-invasive questions of his own. 

Time passed easily and you realized with a bit of surprise that this was among one of the only genuine conversations you’d had with a near-stranger in almost a year. It felt nice to finally talk with someone outside the circle of friends and family you kept in touch with, and you found yourself feeling grateful you’d ended up at Eddie’s station. 

After a few minutes of conversation, Eddie checked his watch and glanced up at you once again. “It’s been about twenty minutes. Are you feeling okay, or do I need to check your vitals before you go?” 

You smiled sincerely behind your mask and hoped it reached your eyes this time. “No, I think I’m okay. The juice helped a lot.” 

He nodded. “Good, I’m glad.” He noted something on the card with your information and passed it back to you. “You’ll get a reminder in a few weeks to book your second appointment. If you want, I’ll take care of your second dose and we’ll see if we can keep you from feeling the way you did today. How does that sound?” 

You fought to keep from tearing up, touched by his concern and care. “That sounds great. Thank you, Eddie,” you said sincerely. 

His hazel eyes softened. “You’re welcome. When you get here, just let whoever is working registration know to find me and we’ll get you taken care of. For now—” he held out a fist and you paused in confusion for a second before bumping it with your own. “Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you in a few weeks.” 

You thanked him once more before heading towards the bright daylight outside the station. As you passed by him, Buck stopped you with his hand held out. You looked down in confusion to find an _I got my Covid-19 vaccine!_ sticker in his hand. You took it with a laugh and stuck it on your shirt as he watched. 

“We’ll see you in a few weeks!” he called over his shoulder as he went to switch places with Eddie. 

With one last wave at the pair over your shoulder, you stepped out of the firehouse and onto the sidewalk. As you breathed in the fresh air, something felt different. 

For the first time in a year, you had hope.


End file.
